The US automotive industry spans new light-duty vehicle production, propulsion technology, manufacturing employment, ownership costs and road safety. The figures below distinguish model years from calendar years, preliminary estimates from final observations, and production measures from the in-use fleet.
Key US Automotive Industry Statistics
The following highlights cover the most useful measures across production, technology, jobs, costs and safety:
- In model year 2023, 14 US-market manufacturers each produced at least 150,000 vehicles in the United States.
- In model year 2023, the top 14 manufacturers represented more than 97% of US new-vehicle production.
- In preliminary model year 2024, cars accounted for 34% and trucks 66% of new vehicles in the United States under NHTSA regulatory definitions.
- In model year 2023, the average new light-duty vehicle emitted 319 grams of real-world tailpipe CO2 per mile in the United States.
- In model year 2023, average real-world fuel economy reached 27.1 miles per gallon for US new light-duty vehicles.
- In preliminary model year 2024, average real-world fuel economy was 27.2 miles per gallon for US new light-duty vehicles.
- From model year 2004 to preliminary model year 2024, average new-vehicle fuel economy increased 41% in the US EPA series.
- In preliminary model year 2024, BEVs represented 7% of all new vehicles produced for the US market.
- In preliminary model year 2024, BEVs represented 30% of car-SUV production in the United States.
- In November 2024, motor vehicle and parts manufacturing employed 1,060.0 thousand payroll workers in the United States.
- In November 2024, motor vehicle parts manufacturing employed 571.8 thousand people in the United States.
- From December 2023 to December 2024, US city-average motor vehicle insurance prices rose 11.3%.
- From December 2023 to December 2024, US city-average motor vehicle maintenance and repair prices rose 6.2%.
- In calendar year 2024, NHTSA recorded 1,073 vehicle recalls affecting 35,000,618 vehicles in the United States.
- In calendar year 2024, NHTSA’s early estimate was 39,345 US traffic fatalities.
- In calendar year 2024, the estimated US traffic fatality rate fell to 1.20 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Contents
- Key US Automotive Industry Statistics
- US Automotive Production Statistics and Vehicle Mix
- US Automotive Fuel Economy and Emissions Trends
- Electric, Hybrid and Other US Automotive Technology Adoption
- US Automotive Industry Employment and Manufacturing Jobs
- Vehicle Ownership Costs, Maintenance and Insurance Data
- US Automotive Safety, Recalls and Traffic Outcomes
US Automotive Production Statistics and Vehicle Mix
The EPA’s automotive trends report primarily describes new light-duty vehicles produced for sale in the United States by model year. These figures are not calendar-year sales and do not describe the entire in-use fleet.
For model year 2023, the 14 highest-volume manufacturers each produced at least 150,000 vehicles, and that group accounted for more than 97% of production. Across the report’s historical series through model year 2023, new-vehicle production for US sale grew about 0.4% per year on average, although that long-run estimate masks year-to-year swings. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
| Measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| New vehicles classified as cars | Model year 2024 preliminary | 34% |
| New vehicles classified as trucks | Model year 2024 preliminary | 66% |
| All-manufacturer vehicle footprint | Model years 2022 and 2024 preliminary | 51.6 sq. ft. |
| All-manufacturer vehicle footprint | Model year 2023 | 51.8 sq. ft. |
The 2024 production mix uses NHTSA regulatory car and truck definitions and remains preliminary. Footprint means the tire-enclosed area, so it is a physical vehicle attribute rather than a measure of sales or road space used in operation. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
Ford’s average new-vehicle footprint was 55.9 square feet in 2022 and 56.0 square feet in 2023 for vehicles sold in the United States. Across all manufacturers, the average truck footprint was 54.2 square feet in both 2022 and 2023, then fell to a preliminary 54.0 square feet in 2024. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
US Automotive Fuel Economy and Emissions Trends
EPA’s real-world estimates show a higher-efficiency new-vehicle fleet in model year 2023 and a preliminary further increase in 2024. The measures refer to new US light-duty vehicles and are not window-sticker values.
| EPA measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Average real-world fuel economy | Model year 2023 final | 27.1 mpg |
| Average real-world tailpipe CO2 | Model year 2023 final | 319 g/mile |
| Fuel-economy change | 2022 to 2023 | +1.1 mpg |
| CO2 change | 2022 to 2023 | -18 g/mile |
| Average real-world fuel economy | Model year 2024 preliminary | 27.2 mpg |
Model year 2023 fuel economy was a record high in the final series at that time, while emissions were 18 grams per mile lower than in 2022. Average fuel economy improved in 16 of the 20 years before model year 2024. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
The preliminary 2024 average was 41% higher than in 2004. Without BEVs and PHEVs, the 2024 average would have been 1.7 mpg lower, average power 13 horsepower lower, and average vehicle weight 72 pounds lower; these are EPA counterfactual comparisons, not separate observed fleets. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
Truck-SUV fuel economy reached a preliminary 25.7 mpg in model year 2024, up 1.0 mpg from 2023. For comparison, model year 2023 average fuel economy excluding BEVs and PHEVs was 24.9 mpg. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
Electric, Hybrid and Other US Automotive Technology Adoption
BEV and PHEV shares vary sharply by vehicle type. The following production figures are preliminary model-year 2024 EPA estimates for vehicles produced for the US market.
| Vehicle category | BEV share | PHEV share |
|---|---|---|
| All new vehicles | 7% | — |
| Car SUVs | 30% | 3% |
| Sedans and wagons | 7% | 1% |
| Truck SUVs | 4% | 4% |
| Minivans and vans | 0% | 5% |
| Pickups | 2% | 0% |
The all-vehicle BEV share declined from 10% in model year 2023 to a preliminary 7% in 2024. In this dataset, zero means no recorded production in the category, not that the technology is impossible or absent from every market. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
EPA’s vehicle-type comparison associated BEV and PHEV content with a 9.0 mpg fuel-economy difference for car SUVs, 1.8 mpg for sedans and wagons, 1.0 mpg for truck SUVs, 0.6 mpg for minivans and vans from PHEV content, and 0.3 mpg for pickups from BEV content. These are fleet-mix comparisons and should not be read as causal experiments. (2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report)
US Automotive Industry Employment and Manufacturing Jobs
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics table reports not-seasonally-adjusted payroll employment in thousands. In November 2024, motor vehicle and parts manufacturing employed 1,060.0 thousand people nationwide.
| Manufacturing segment | November 2024 payroll employment |
|---|---|
| Motor vehicle manufacturing, NAICS 3361 | 312.9 thousand |
| Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing, NAICS 3362 | 173.9 thousand |
| Motor vehicle parts manufacturing, NAICS 3363 | 571.8 thousand |
| Gasoline engine and engine-parts manufacturing | 57.7 thousand |
| Electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing | 59.8 thousand |
| Transmission and power-train parts manufacturing | 84.8 thousand |
| Motor vehicle metal stamping | 84.7 thousand |
| Brake, seating, interior-trim and other parts manufacturing | 251.8 thousand |
These are payroll jobs in the cited manufacturing classifications, not a count of every automotive-related occupation, dealership employee or supplier job outside the selected NAICS detail. (BLS Table B-1b, November 2024)
Vehicle Ownership Costs, Maintenance and Insurance Data
The December 2024 Consumer Price Index shows how selected automotive prices changed for the US city average. CPI changes measure price movement, not a typical household’s dollar ownership cost or a typical repair bill.
| Automotive CPI measure | Period | Change or weight |
|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle insurance | Dec. 2023-Dec. 2024 | +11.3% |
| Motor vehicle maintenance and repair | Dec. 2023-Dec. 2024 | +6.2% |
| Motor vehicle repair | Year to Dec. 2024 | +7.2% |
| Motor vehicle maintenance and servicing | Year to Dec. 2024 | +5.7% |
| Motor vehicle parts and equipment | BLS 2023-2024 comparison | +5.0% |
| State motor-vehicle registration and license fees | Year to Dec. 2024 | +2.1% |
| Maintenance and repair relative importance | December 2024 CPI-U basket | 1.271% |
The 1.271% figure is the relative importance of motor vehicle maintenance and repair in the all-items CPI-U basket, not the actual share of every household’s spending. The CPI figures come from the BLS December 2024 release. (Consumer Price Index News Release – December 2024 Results)
US Automotive Safety, Recalls and Traffic Outcomes
NHTSA recorded 1,073 vehicle recalls in calendar year 2024, covering 35,000,618 vehicles. The affected population is the number of vehicles covered by campaigns, not confirmed defective vehicles, completed repairs, injuries or failures.
| 2024 NHTSA recall category | Recalls | Affected vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| All vehicle recalls | 1,073 | 35,000,618 |
| Defect recalls | 1,029 | 27,682,450 |
| Compliance recalls | 44 | 7,318,168 |
NHTSA’s 2024 Annual Recall Report includes both defect and compliance recalls. (2024 Annual Recall Report)
Traffic outcomes improved in the latest figures, although NHTSA’s 2024 numbers are early estimates. NHTSA estimated 39,345 traffic fatalities in 2024, about 3.8% below the final 2023 total of 40,901, while vehicle miles traveled increased 1%.
The estimated 2024 fatality rate was 1.20 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles, the lowest since 2019. Final 2023 fatalities fell 4.3% from 42,721 in 2022 to 40,901, and the final fatality rate fell 6% from 1.34 to 1.26 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles. (NHTSA Estimates 39,345 Traffic Fatalities in 2024)